From a conversation in the Film thread, we’ve decided to try & take on the IMDB Top 250 Film list between us.

Every week we will select FIVE (5) films from the IMDB Top 250 list at random. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO WATCH ALL 5 FILMS! You can watch as many or as little as you like, we’ve chosen 5 films to give people multiple options of what to watch as everyone won’t have the same access to films as others, people don’t have the time, you may have already seen some of the films, etc. A choice of 5 films should also mean there should be some more chat going on in the thread.

The films are chosen at random as the IMDB list is continuously changing, some of the films may be completely inaccessible & certain films may become topical at points to name a few reasons. Will use Google’s random number generator to create the first list (albeit ignoring films which aren’t readily available). Will use a mix of this & picking some too.

Watch the film(s), then just post in this thread about it, whether you liked it or hated it, etc. Probably an idea to be mindful of spoilers.

The wife & I go back to work tomorrow, so we settled down to watch Coco this afternoon.

We weren’t alone, there must have been someone else in the room chopping some large onions too.

It’s absolutely bloody superb, not the very best film Pixar have done, but it’s certainly them on top, top form. Throughly recommended watch for everyone, it’s so beautiful & vibrant to look at with a brilliant story about love & family. I think watching it around Xmas time made it particuarly potent to the tear ducts, not much stuff gets me (whereas the missus can cry at an advert). But this had particular movements where my eyes got a little sweaty.

Also watched Coco w/ the whole family, 3 yo kid included. He was more interested in the “dragons” and thankfully didn’t seem to pick up on the rather dark twist. Fully agree w/ all of Juan’s comments. Great film. Our house was very, very dusty towards the end.

Not had a chance to watch one of these this week, so will cheat slightly and use The Good The Bad and The Ugly as I only watched it around a month ago for the first time.

If you had asked me 30 minutes in if I thought I would like it I would have said no. I think it started a bit slow and unless you were already a fan of westerns (which I’m not) then I can understand how someone can lose interest. However it improved a lot as it went on, and by the end I thought it was great. The music was fantastic and is a massive part of what makes the film, the bit with Tuco running through the graveyard and the song playing in the background was sublime (song is called The Ecstasy of Gold btw, now saved in my Spotify library). As much as people laud Clint Eastwood’s character, for me Tuco makes the film, he’s the best and most interesting character in it, without him everyone else is fairly one dimensional and slow. A solid 8.5/10 for me.

Not had a chance to watch one of these this week, so will cheat slightly and use The Good The Bad and The Ugly as I only watched it around a month ago for the first time.

If you had asked me 30 minutes in if I thought I would like it I would have said no. I think it started a bit slow and unless you were already a fan of westerns (which I’m not) then I can understand how someone can lose interest. However it improved a lot as it went on, and by the end I thought it was great. The music was fantastic and is a massive part of what makes the film, the bit with Tuco running through the graveyard and the song playing in the background was sublime (song is called The Ecstasy of Gold btw, now saved in my Spotify library). As much as people laud Clint Eastwood’s character, for me Tuco makes the film, he’s the best and most interesting character in it, without him everyone else is fairly one dimensional and slow. A solid 8.5/10 for me.

I watched this ages ago - think I got in to a little Western vibe after playing the first Red Dead Redemption. Can’t exactly remember the film properly, but I do remember having the same reaction of thinking it started really slowly & then it just built & built into a fantastic film. Must rewatch it.

I started going through the top 250 a couple of years ago and found that the Lovefilm disc service (now defunct) was necessary to get hold of some of them without buying. One highlight, which now appears not to be in the top 250 despite an 8.1 average rating (maybe due to vote volume being too low), was Love Exposure, which I would describe as a 4-hour Japanese epic about upskirt photography and cults. Particularly great was when the title card popped up about 1 hour in.

I can sort of see why people might not be able to get into it. I don’t think it flows from scene to scene in a way which people might expect, at least with modern sensibilities. The pacing is quite strange. There are times where it seems to be going in one direction and then just pauses and does something else for a while. Then it just sort of ambles towards the denouement. I think I basically watch it is a meditative mood piece, whereas I believe the original marketing was selling it as an action film, which it definitely isn’t. And my feelings are probably shaped by the opening and last 5 minutes being so great, at least in the final cut version (no voiceover or dumb outing to the countryside) - lift doors close, cue Vangelis. Perfect.

I think we talked about this the first time I saw it: This film has two things going for it, the story and the cinematography and I’ll start with the latter.

It’s a film student’s desert island movie but since I’m not one, I can appreciate the details without falling in love with them. As for the story, the ideas this movie is built upon have since been taken up by different film, TV and video game creators and been expanded and refined, so as far as that goes, there are better versions of it out there.

I understand the significance of this film to not just the genre of Sci-Fi in movies, but to pop culture at large, I just found it to be really boring.

Another moody meandering sort of sci-fi film with a distinctive soundtrack, which could be a companion piece, is Until the End of the World (not top250 though).

And for dystopic future Los Angeles there’s Strange Days, which was a fairly big budget and critically well-received Kathryn Bigelow film from the mid-90s but now seems to have largely dropped out of cultural memory. Also notable for being the origin of Fat Boy Slim’s “Right here, right now” sample.

Talking of Kathryn Bigelow (and sort of linking back to Ridley Scott) when you get to Aliens in the top250 it might be fun to do a double bill with Bigelow’s Near Dark, which was basically made as a sort of B-side to Aliens with most of the main cast.

Love it, mise en scene theory go to film when I teach. The synth music has dated but the mix of Sci Fi noir and themes of technology and humanity is great. The use of the replicants as not entirely the bad guys, and the police/deckard as not entirely the good guys is great by Sci fi standards. Zora’s part in particularly highlights that.

Helps too that its influenced tons of other brilliant stuff too, particularly the shadowrun Snes game and Deus Ex. Which are two particular favourites of mine.

Blade Runner: love it, but also in the boat where I understand why people hate it. Most of the criticism posted by Skiyoghurt reflects my own feelings on it as well. It’s like a movie version of some droning electronic prog stuff.

Also going to second the suggestion of watching Near Dark as a pairing with Aliens. A fantastic vampire horror movie that doubles as a slice of southwest gothic. It’s also got the benefit of having the younger brother from another mid 80s cult classic River’s Edge and the love interest from yet another 80s cult classic The Chocolate War. So many good movies were made more or less in the shadows during the 80s.

I’ve always had a love/hate relationship with Blade Runner because the first time I watched it was in class & then having to write a particuarly difficult essay about it - so I’ve always king of resented it for those reasons.

It’s a film I can respect, but not love. It’s a film i admire, but don’t find it entertaining. The prog rock analogy is spot on, you can’t help but admire the technical part of the filmmaking & the ambition, it’s proper sci-fi noir & inspired a whole host of others, but… I just wish it was more accessible.

I did like 2049 a lot more, but I think that’s because it was on my terms how I first watched it. It has exactly the same vibe as the original, so I can see why a lot of people didn’t like it.

Can we put The God Father (pt.1) in for Infinity War? I’m not in favor of taking the greatest film ever made for some schmuck movie from the 1800’s but The Rewatchables did an episode on it and it would make sense if I synched the two up. Either way I’m probably watching it tonight so there’s that.

I saw Million Dollar Baby ages ago but my God was that a depressing end.

And I don’t think we talked about WoWS: really good DiCaprio performance that carries an okay film. I don’t entirely remember The Aviator but that plus Catch Me If You Can are much better in terms of films where he has to play a somewhat sleezy character. I’d even say CMIYC is my favorite DiCaprio film.

And I just have one take regarding Avengers because I talked about it to death:

This film’s (franchise?) greatest accomplishment is that it fooled every studio in Hollywood into thinking that they too can create a “universe” that is coherent and that receives worldwide acclaim. And all of them, without fail, have bombed.

And I’m not even talking about DC alone here (who have been more successful than most): Universal’s “The Dark Universe” because people were dying for a Mummy and Frankenstein’s Bride crossover. The million reboots of Robin Hood. WB’s King Arthur Universe (yes that was a thing). The fact that we are getting 3 (THREE) Avatar sequels when, let’s be honest, nobody outside the Cameron household had even clamored for one.

It’s almost as having a plan that starts with one movie then grows makes a whole lot more sense than skipping to the part where you have 19 follow-ups.

Might have to cheat again this week as I watched Grand Budapest Hotel and Million Dollar Baby very recently doing this list at the back end of 2018. And I have no real interest in Indian films having watched a few in my life and never feeling attached to any of them, and no interest in Infinity War after the utter pile of wank that was the first two Avengers films. Will see if I can squeeze in Silence of The Lambs on the weekend as it’s my only option really.

Hunter : feel free to watch The Godfather & post about it in here. The 5 choices were made using a random number generator.

RKMF : have you watched the films from week 1?

GFM : you can talk about films you’ve seen before, doesn’t need to be from a first-time perspective, the point of the list it to try & tick off watching the films. I wouldn’t want to watch some of the films in the 250 list again, but I can talk about them still. Perhaps something spoken about might trigger someone into watching it - the purpose is just to be a discussion place for films in the list, it’s effectively a niche version of the film thread with some weekly choices thrown in to try & get people talking.

Grand Budapest Hotel : have seen this a few times now after initially being hesitant about watching it. I’m not Wes Anderson’s biggest fan, primarily because his twee aesthetic is something I’m “supposed to like” or appeal to me as it’s based in design theory (rule of thirds, etc). I find him too self-indulgent & precious about his style over the actual story. For me, this film is where he finally strikes the balance right & makes it accessible to all audiences. I usually find his films a little too precious & kitsch, whereas this is a genuinely funny, goofy, eccentric, screwball comedy that is gorgeous & unique to look at. Subtle humour sits next to slapstick with some scenes reminiscent of a Benny Hill or Three Stooges skit. It’s a genuine hoot - throughly recommended to all.

Avengers : Infinity War : it’s a 2 & half hour long third act CGI slog-fest. It’s entertaining in the sense that big things crashing into each other can be fun - but it isn’t going to stretch your mind. It’s throwaway arcade cinema for the smartphone generation disguised as a coherent ‘universe’ story. I get why people enjoy it & that’s fine - I just don’t understand how you can say it’s your absolute favourite thing about cinema. It’s the Foo Fighters, Kings Of Leon & Green Day of cinema, inoffensive MOR commercial tat that makes money.

Infinity war I rewatched a couple of days ago, tough one to judge. It is great at what it does, but kindof relies on a lot of other movies to give it weight. Im going with an 8/10.

(For me I should say a 10/10 is rare and fantastic, a 1/10 pretty much means they filmed it)

Just went on IMDB to check my ratings in light of the bottom comment, I’ve given twenty 10/10 ratings, and just two 1/10 ratings (prizes for anyone who can guess the two). The vast majority of mine fall between 6-9, I must have at least sixty that I’ve given 7/10. Maybe I’m too generous.

Infinity war I rewatched a couple of days ago, tough one to judge. It is great at what it does, but kindof relies on a lot of other movies to give it weight. Im going with an 8/10.

(For me I should say a 10/10 is rare and fantastic, a 1/10 pretty much means they filmed it)

Just went on IMDB to check my ratings in light of the bottom comment, I’ve given twenty 10/10 ratings, and just two 1/10 ratings (prizes for anyone who can guess the two). The vast majority of mine fall between 6-9, I must have at least sixty that I’ve given 7/10. Maybe I’m too generous.

TWENTY! What were they out of interest?

Am trying to think what I would give 10 out of 10 to… 10/10 for me would mean that it would need to be perfect. I have a whole host of films which I can’t personally fault, I love them to bits, but I wouldn’t necessarily give them 10/10 despite the fact by that very definition they should be - does that make sense?

Films I can’t find a single fault in would include Fight Club, Toy Story, City Of God, Vertigo, Back To The Future and Hot Fuzz. So I guess those are my 10/10 films…

Infinity war I rewatched a couple of days ago, tough one to judge. It is great at what it does, but kindof relies on a lot of other movies to give it weight. Im going with an 8/10.

(For me I should say a 10/10 is rare and fantastic, a 1/10 pretty much means they filmed it)

Just went on IMDB to check my ratings in light of the bottom comment, I’ve given twenty 10/10 ratings, and just two 1/10 ratings (prizes for anyone who can guess the two). The vast majority of mine fall between 6-9, I must have at least sixty that I’ve given 7/10. Maybe I’m too generous.

TWENTY! What were they out of interest?

Am trying to think what I would give 10 out of 10 to… 10/10 for me would mean that it would need to be perfect. I have a whole host of films which I can’t personally fault, I love them to bits, but I wouldn’t necessarily give them 10/10 despite the fact by that very definition they should be - does that make sense?

Films I can’t find a single fault in would include Fight Club, Toy Story, City Of God, Vertigo, Back To The Future and Hot Fuzz. So I guess those are my 10/10 films…

Infinity war I rewatched a couple of days ago, tough one to judge. It is great at what it does, but kindof relies on a lot of other movies to give it weight. Im going with an 8/10.

(For me I should say a 10/10 is rare and fantastic, a 1/10 pretty much means they filmed it)

Just went on IMDB to check my ratings in light of the bottom comment, I’ve given twenty 10/10 ratings, and just two 1/10 ratings (prizes for anyone who can guess the two). The vast majority of mine fall between 6-9, I must have at least sixty that I’ve given 7/10. Maybe I’m too generous.

TWENTY! What were they out of interest?

Am trying to think what I would give 10 out of 10 to… 10/10 for me would mean that it would need to be perfect. I have a whole host of films which I can’t personally fault, I love them to bits, but I wouldn’t necessarily give them 10/10 despite the fact by that very definition they should be - does that make sense?

Films I can’t find a single fault in would include Fight Club, Toy Story, City Of God, Vertigo, Back To The Future and Hot Fuzz. So I guess those are my 10/10 films…

I know, it seems like far too high a number, I think I need to revise my reviewing system, I may bee too kind. They are:

American History X
Room
Toy Story
The Lion King
Reservoir Dogs
Spotlight
The Aviator
The Lego Movie
South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut
Rush
Milk
The Usual Suspects
Beavis & Butt-Head Do America
The Sword in the Stone
Stand By Me
Network
The Muppet Christmas Carol
Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind
The Prestige
Inception

There’s two or three I would consider revising but I stand by the majority of them.

The Shawshank Redemption
Hot Fuzz
Shaun Of The Dead
Wayne’s World
The entire Toy Story trilogy
The Empire Strikes Back
Children of Men
V for Vendetta
Seven
Jackie Brown
Guardians of the Galaxy
Die Hard
The Usual Suspects
The 39 Steps
Home Alone

Million Dollar Baby (available on Netflix)
Watched it several years ago when it first arrived on the TVs and haven’t seen it since. Didn’t leave that great an impression, apart from memories of the ominous bed sores and then amputation scenes. I’m a little surprised it’s in the top 250.

Rang De Basanti (available Netflix)

Never heard of it before.

Silence Of The Lambs (available on Netflix)

Haven’t seen it for a few years. Definitely something that hooked me and I’d be happy to see again, but I’ve never been sure why it’s considered to be such a major achievement as a film. It could be that the whole using a monster/becoming a monster to catch a monster thing has been done quite a lot subsequently so I’m a little immune to its charms.

Avengers : Infinity War (available on Sky Cinema & NowTV)

Saw it on the relatively large small screen over Christmas time. I’ve only really dipped in and out of the Avengers films+Guardians of the Galaxy, but was able to follow it pretty easily. My parents though had not a clue what was going on. I thought the film did a good job of “humanising” Thanos to elevate things above a simplistic good guys/bad buy story, even though it was always clear who the good guys were, and I enjoyed it.

It feels like it’s got to a point where the stakes are so high there’s no weight to them because you ultimately know there’s no way the filmmakers will leave things like that. And I think part of that is there was very little conception of a population beyond this small cast of superheroes and villains. I mean, presumably *spoiler alert* half the population of the universe just died, but beyond that small cast who you know are coming back anyway it all seems very abstract and weightless in terms of consequence. Oh, one thing which I didn’t get (maybe I missed it from the start or was explained in Guardians of the Galaxy 2) was Thanos’ ability to turn back a pocket of time, or whatever - something seemed to have happened then Thanos waves his hands and it didn’t happen anymore. That struck me as an unsatisfying deus ex machina.

The Grand Budapest Hotel (available on Netflix)

Watched it a few times on blu-ray just after it was released and saw it again a couple of months ago on netflix.
Agree with Juan on everything. I think Ralph Fiennes elevates this above other Anderson films - he gives something very different from your typical Anderson characters and it feels like Fiennes must have had a lot of autonomy to develop that. The year after this was in cinemas I saw him in a theatre production of Man and Superman playing a character apparently based on the legend of Don Juan. It was really quite a similar performance, and I wonder if there might have been some crossover in character development. Although I’ve also described both performances (and heard/read others saying similar) as Leonard Rossiter impressions.

Oh, one thing which I didn’t get (maybe I missed it from the start or was explained in Guardians of the Galaxy 2) was Thanos’ ability to turn back a pocket of time, or whatever - something seemed to have happened then Thanos waves his hands and it didn’t happen anymore. That struck me as an unsatisfying deus ex machina.

Are you referring to the scene at the end or the one at the start of the movie?

In white:

The one that happens at the start of the film on Knowhere (and again on Titan) when Thanos distorts reality, tricking the Guardians into thinking that the planet wasn’t destroyed and to get Gamora to attack him, happened because he possessed the Reality Stone (they went into that fight thinking they had a chance of stopping him from getting it but they were too late). The reality stone (Red one) was the Mcguffin of Thor: The Dark World.

The one that happens towards the end where he reverses the death of Vision only to get the Mind Stone from him comes as a result of him possessing the time stone and thus able to reverse time, he was given the Time Stone by Dr Strange on Titan in order to save Tony Stark’s life. There’s an implication that they key to Avengers: Endgame is related to this moment. The Time Stone (Green one) was the McGuffin of the “Dr. Strange” while the mind stone (Yellow one) was the McGuffin of the first 2 Avengers movies (but they hadn’t realized it was an infinity stone until Age of Ultron).

Are you referring to the scene at the end or the one at the start of the movie?

I think the answer to that is “yes”. Didn’t realise they were different (but effectively the same) mechanisms.

They depended on similar objects but its two different effects: The first was something like “look at this augmented reality on top of whatever you’re seeing .... Aaaaand now it’s gone”. It’s visual effects taken up to the nth degree. The second was straight-up time reversal.

Generally speaking each stone does its own schtick, but I can’t blame you for not paying much attention. I think I just realized what the Space Stone does (Avengers Assemble) except that because of the canon it doesn’t make much sense (they introduced it in Captain America 1 as this source of energy to power up Nazi weapons but for whatever reason that gets axed at some point in the first Avengers and you realize its actual power is being able to open up teleportation gates, but they never go back to explain that in Infinity War).

Are you referring to the scene at the end or the one at the start of the movie?

I think the answer to that is “yes”. Didn’t realise they were different (but effectively the same) mechanisms.

They depended on similar objects but its two different effects: The first was something like “look at this augmented reality on top of whatever you’re seeing .... Aaaaand now it’s gone”. It’s visual effects taken up to the nth degree. The second was straight-up time reversal.

Generally speaking each stone does its own schtick, but I can’t blame you for not paying much attention. I think I just realized what the Space Stone does (Avengers Assemble) except that because of the canon it doesn’t make much sense (they introduced it in Captain America 1 as this source of energy to power up Nazi weapons but for whatever reason that gets axed at some point in the first Avengers and you realize its actual power is being able to open up teleportation gates, but they never go back to explain that in Infinity War).

When I say “effectively the same” I mean for the user experience. In both cases it’s “Well… that happened. Oh wait, no it didn’t.”

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